Wine: Barbera Vigna Pugnane
Producer: Marco Marengo
Region/Appellation: Piemonte, Italy
Grape varieties: Barbera
Vintage: 2015
Eye: intense ruby red
Nose: fruity, red berries
Mouth: full-bodied, fruity, warm
Price Point: $13
Available at Vinmonopolet: yes
Available at Systembolaget: no
I know the list of my favorite wineries is growing (a lot) but there are just so many good winemakers to visit. And Marengo is definitely high on the list.
If you visit them you will most likely meet with Jenny, Marco’s wife, and you’ll maybe get to taste som of the wines you see in the picture below. One of my favorites is their Langhe Nebbiolo Valmggiore, and you’ll often see me drink it at More e Macine (just ask the locals). Marengo also has a beautiful “new” tasting room adjacent to the wine cellar so you’ll probably also get a tour!
I myself have never been to Prowein, but I have been to Vinitaly and I imagine it’s very similar. Basically too many wineries to count get together and show their wines to the people in the trade; which means you have to be a member of the trade to get access. Now, I am not sure how loose the definition of trade is, so you might get access if you can somehow make it sound like you are in the trade. When I went to Vinitaly, a friend gave me her second pass, so that’s how I was able to attend. I know, lucky me!
Anyways, the fair is from March 18 – March 20 and some of the winemakers I know that will attend are:
Corino, Altare, Fratelli Revello, Carlo Revello , Burlotto, Cavallotto, Marengo and Mauro Veglio.
Check the Prowein website for more info.
6 people, 10 barolo, 1 night: does it get any better? (Yes I know one of them is technically a Barbaresco, but it’s not my fault someone cheated!) The deal was: bring one (or three) bottles of barolo and we’ll taste them blind. So, blindtasting gallore!
The bottles were a little too cold when we started, which made it even harder to taste and try to differentiate and eventually guess the wines. But we had some good conversations around all the wines, and after they warmed up and opened up they were all pretty much incredible.
The way we did it was: 3 bottles at a time, random order. To help us remember which was which I brought my Wine Glass Writer along. Genius way to assist during a blind taste. I also sometimes use them for seating arrangements at dinner parties. You just write the guests names on the glasses instead of on a card. Safe to say I use mine all the time!
Man surprises during the night. What was difficult was that some of the older bottles outshone the younger ones, even though the younger ones were also very good. Example: 2013 Alessandro Veglio is a very good wine, but for me too young and therefore the 2009 Barbaresco and 2010 Enzoboglietti came out a little stronger. I had also set my mind on the Marengo (without label) and so any wines after that were sort of put in second place.
Top 3 wines of the night: Aurelio Settimo Rocche dell’Annunziata 2009, Marengo Unknown Barolo and 2005 Renato Corino Vecchie Vigne. Outstanding. Looking forward to the next Barolo Night!
Brunate is one of my favorite crus, and the fact that Marengo produces it just makes it even better. The vineyards is composed of sandy soils with southern exposure, located in the zones of Barolo and La Morra. Last year I had the 1988, and let me just say that the 2010 can be stored away for about 30 more years! Not saying that the 2010 isn’t good now, just way too young!
Wine: Barolo Brunate
Producer: Marengo
Region/Appellation: Piemonte, Italy
Grape varieties: Nebbiolo
Vintage: 2010
Eye: deep red
Nose: red berries, herbs, some tobacco, floral
Mouth: well balanced. herbal, good acidity, smooth tannins
Price Point: $62
Available at Vinmonopolet: maybe
Available at Systembolaget: no
Throwback to last years Pylsa&Barolo. Looking forward to Pylsa&Barolo tomorrow, La Morra edition! Pictures to come!
Dinner at More e Macine, La Morra
I will just share one photo for now from the wonderful weekend I just spent in Barolo. The weekend was filled with good wine, tasty food, amazing people and horrible weather! But for me the weather doesn’t play a huge role, especially with so many incredible people surrounding me.
The photo is from my Birthday dinner on Friday with my winemaker friends. You can spot Silvia Altare and Gigi, Giuliano and Stefania Corino, Nadia Curto and her husband Davide, Jenny Battaglino and Marco Marengo, my friends from Norway and my brother Ask. Quite a group of people! Not pictured is Fabio Burlotto and Chiara Boschis. I am so grateful that so many wonderful people wanted to share in my birthday celebration!
Friday Pizza has been a longstanding tradition. When Friday comes around, wherever I am, I try to make pizza. Lake Como, Milano, Stavanger, Boston; doesn’t matter. Recently, Friday Pizza has been accompanied by Blind Tasting. This particular occasion was to teach my brother’s friend a little about wine. We decided to stay in one area, so Piemonte wines were on the menu.
It ended up being one of each grape and then of course both versions of Nebbiolo. And my dad picked wines that show the typical characteristics of each one. Dolcetto and Barbera by Bartolo Mascarello. Nebbiolo and Barolo from Marengo. Absolutely fantastic. The 2012 Barolo was a little young but decanting it helped slightly. Overall a great meal and an interesting “wine lesson”.
Many of the winemakers in Piemonte (more specifically Barolo) have become my friends and it is always a joy to see when their wines make it to the top of the lists. Marengo’s Bricco Delle Viole reached #15 on Wine Spectators Top 100 Wines! Congratulations Marco, Jenny and Marenghino!
See the full list here: http://top100.winespectator.com/lists/
PIEMONTEGIRL 